Bloom report, dwarfs, Zone3/4

Greetings:

I'm coming out of lurking for a bloom report for anyone whose keeping
track.  Thanks to the list,  I discovered  Schreiner's last year.  That
improved 2 things in my iris beds - 1 - varieties are really what I order 
(several  other general gardening sources have sent irises that were 
nothing close to varieties I ordered) and -2- they arrived for planting
around August 1 instead of October 1.  October 1 is usually after our first
frost and I don't get good root development before winter and have always
had tremendous winter loss. Not this year though!  

  I put in several new dwarfs and tall beardeds last year.  The dwarfs:
GRAPE ORBIT, ON FIRE, and GENTLE GRACE started blooming last week and are
doing very well, REAL COUQUETTE has yet to open, but has 7 buds! (In the
first year!).  And this is without any mulching or extra winter care. We
didn't have snow cover for very long this year and we did have some nights
of -35 F in January so I know these varieties are tough!  

There are some mids blooming now, but its about a month until tall-bearded
bloom.  The only TB  of those I planted last August that is struggling is
BROADWAY, but I haven't given up on it yet. It was also placed in a spot
with more clay and less soil amendment than the other TBs.  Have others had
any experience with this variety being more sensitive to the cold? Or is it
more likely a soil problem?  

I can report back on the TBs after that bloom starts.

Thanks for all the ongoing  discussions. Us lurkers (usually)  pick up lots
of good info from it!


*************************************
Elaine Grings
Miles City, MT
egrings@mcn.net
zone3/4
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